Alpheus /Gou-!na !Naruseb (born 20 March 1954 in Usakos

Usakos

Usakos is a city on the banks of river Khan, 140 kilometres north-east of Swakopmund in the Erongo Region of Namibia. It is located on the B2 , the main road between the Walvis Bay and Johannesburg. The town has 3,000 inhabitants and owns of land...

, Erongo Region

Erongo Region

Erongo is one of the 13 regions of Namibia. It comprises the Swakopmund magisterial district up to the Ugab River and includes Walvis Bay, Omaruru and Karibib magisterial districts. This region is named after Erongo mountain, a well known landmark in Namibia and in this area...

) is a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n politician. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), !Naruseb has been in the Cabinet of Namibia

Cabinet of Namibia

The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by the Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include the following positions:...

 since 1997 and the National Assembly

National Assembly of Namibia

The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...

 since 1994.

Early life and education

!Naruseb was born on 20 March, 1954 in Usakos, South West Africa

South West Africa

South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....

. From 1970-75, he attended Martin Luther High School

Martin Luther High School

Martin Luther High School is a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod-affiliated private school located in Greendale, Wisconsin.-History:Martin Luther High School was built in the post World War II era, before the end of the Cold War. It was built as the second school belonging to the Lutheran High School...

 in Okombahe

Okombahe

Okombahe is a settlement in Erongo Region, Namibia. It is regarded as the capital of the ǂNûkhoen tribe; the annual King's Festival is held at the town's Gaob Memorial Stadium. Dibasen Junior Secondary School is situated in the village....

. He has also studied towards his Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

 (L.L.B.) at the University of Namibia

University of Namibia

The University of Namibia is the national university of Namibia, located in the Pioneers Park district of Windhoek. Established by an act of National Assembly on 31 August 1992, UNAM includes Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Economics & Management Science Education, Humanities and...

.

Political career

!Naruseb joined SWAPO in 1975 at the age of 21. The next year he began working as a maintenance planner at the Rössing Uranium Mine in Arandis

Arandis, Namibia

Arandis, Namibia is a town in Erongo Region, Namibia. It is also a crossing loop on the Trans-Namib Railway. It has been called the Uranium Capital of the World as it is located just 15 km outside the world's largest open-pit uranium mine, the Rössing Uranium Mine.Established for the workers of...

, which lasted until 1980. In that year, he became industrial relations officer at the Mine, which lasted until independence in 1990. During the run-up to independence the late 1980s, he was the internal SWAPO secretary for economic affairs. Following a stint as head organiser of Mass Organizations in SWAPO from 1990-91, he joined the SWAPO Central Committee in that year. From 1992-2002, !Naruseb was the head of Information and Publicity in the SWAPO Party. He also was selected to the National Assembly in 1995.

Cabinet positions

In 1997, !Naruseb was appointed to as the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, which lasted until his move to Deputy Minister of Justice in 2003. In 2005, the Erongo native was appointed to head the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare under the newly elected President Hifikepunye Pohamba

Hifikepunye Pohamba

Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba is the second and current President of Namibia. He won the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections overwhelmingly as the candidate of the South West Africa People's Organisation ruling party, taking office in March 2005. He has also been the President of SWAPO since...

. In 2008, !Naruseb was shuffled to the post of Minister of Lands & Resettlement, replacing Jerry Ekandjo

Jerry Ekandjo

Jerry Ekandjo is a Namibian politician, currently serving as Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development....

.

Political positions

In 2008, !Naruseb expressed frustration at the pace of land reform in Namibia

Land reform in Namibia

Land reform is an important political and economic topic in Namibia. It consists of two different strategies: resettlement, and transfer of commercially viable agricultural land. Resettlement is aimed at improving the lives of displaced or dispossessed previously disadvantaged Namibians...

, suggesting that the law be changed to "prioritise the resettlement of the most needy".